Fading Scars: A Series of Malec One Shots

I Don't Like It When We Argue

When Alec slammed the door behind him, he immediately regret doing so. One of the ornaments Magnus had gotten him as a gift that was hanging from his ceiling fell and hit the floor with a crash, the tiny glass shattering into a hundred pieces across his bedroom floor. It was one of his favorite chimes too. It had little seagulls on it. He had gotten it from Italy when he and Magnus went for a visit weeks ago.

After cleaning it up (being extra careful not to cut himself with the shards) he stretched out on his bed and opened his iPad. He had discovered the Internet two years ago when he saw Isabelle using it to look up designs for a dress she'd been wanting to make, and he was in love with it ever since. He followed mostly photography, art and music blogs, occasionally posting his own photos of the city or piano covers he recorded and played himself. He even watched funny cat videos sometimes. It was very calming; just scrolling through people's posts, admiring their work and sending them nice comments. There were a lot of talented people out there who deserved a lot of recognition for their work. So why not join and give them that credit?

He scrolled through his blog to try and get his mind of the argument with Magnus. Turns out, there aren't enough photos of the forest or glaciers or any other beautiful scenery to divert his focus and attention. Not even music could do the trick and music nearly always did the trick lately. Shadowhunters weren't supposed to be too involved with the mundane world but it was just so interesting sometimes.

Tossing his iPad to the side, Alec breathed heavily through his nose. He was unsure how to really feel right now. Sad? Sure. He had reason to. Angry? Absolutely. He was very angry. Heartsick? If he even knew what the true meaning of the word was, then sure. He'd feel that way too. Confused? Probably what he felt the most more than anything. His nerves were on fire and on overdrive the more he thought about what just happened in the kitchen. He needed a distraction. But there was no point in trying to find a distraction if it wasn't going to work.

What was he supposed to say? Alec turned on some gentle music and immediately felt calm. He'd more than likely sit in the bedroom for a while until he found the right words to say. Sometimes sorry wasn't enough and sometimes it was too much.

After a while, Alec could hear the tv on in the living room playing some kind of sitcom. He could hear the canned laughter and the applause and wondered what Magnus was watching. He soon quickly gave up listening to the tv and brought his focus back to his blog.

There was a photo he'd been wanting to upload for the longest time now, but he just couldn't find the time to do it. It was a photo that he took one day when he and Magnus went to the park. Magnus had decided to run through a pile of leaves after he had lost his hat to the wind, therefore chasing it around and trying to get it back.

Finally, Magnus had caught his hat and collapsed on his back into a pile of leaves, exhausted. Alec fell down beside him, his face in a huge smile as Magnus had a hand on his own forehead, laughing. That was the photo. Of him and Magnus on the ground with smiles on their faces.

That's how Alec wanted to preserve their happiness. If time could've froze at that moment, he would've been happy for the rest of his life. There was something about Magnus' smile that made his heart soar. Thinking about the look on Magnus' face before Alec swore and slammed the door wasn't how he wanted to leave things between them. He knew he had to make amends somehow, and there was only one way he knew how.

Taking a deep breath, he got out of bed and opened his bedroom door. The chatter from the tv was much louder now and it was definitely a sitcom that Magnus was watching. Probably The Big Bang Theory. Magnus said before that it was his favorite tv show.

Alec slipped into the kitchen without Magnus noticing and took out the usual ingredients for his and Isabelle's special cookies. He thought if he made a batch, things would go back to normal between them. Cookies were like that. They made things okay regardless of the situation.

As he was pouring brown sugar into the bowl, he accidentally dropped the cookie tray onto the floor, causing a loud racket. He winced. This was sure to grab Magnus' attention. No point in trying hide now. There was too much evidence on the counter to say that he wasn't in here.

Sure enough, Magnus appeared around the corner. He paused upon seeing Alec standing by the counter with a bowl of dough, raising an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

Alec squeezed the wooden spoon he was holding. "I thought I could make cookies for you. Make things better."

Magnus, who was tense when he first saw Alec standing alone in the kitchen, finally relaxed his shoulders. "Let me help you with that. Cookies are more fun to make with a friend."

Within the hour, the cookies were baked and practically all eaten as they sat down in front of the tv and watched Harry Potter. Magnus had his feet propped up on the table with his head resting in his hand, whereas Alec was sat up completely straight, fists clenched on his lap.

Magnus noticed this. "Hey. What's up with your hands? They're clenched."

Alec shrugged. "I'm okay. Just...a little frustrated."

Magnus sighed. "It's because of me, isn't it? I upset you earlier."

Alec felt his nails dig into the palms of his hands. "N-no. You didn't upset me. I'm just feeling tired."

Magnus knew this wasn't the truth but he went along with it anyway. "Same here. I'd make an apology dinner but I can't even make toast most days," Magnus chuckled. "You would've loved my mom's cooking. Back in the day, her food was the stuff of legends. People in our village talked about her holiday cooking before the holidays were even near. She could've opened her own restaurant if she wanted."

Alec wasn't sure what to say so he hummed in content as he took another bite of cookie. This one was still warm on the inside. "They had restaurants in your time?"

Magnus glared at him. "They were called inns at the time but yes. We had restaurants, kind of. It wasn't completely primative."

"I didn't mean it like that," Alec sighed, "I just meant that-ah. Never mind. Forget I said anything. How are the cookies?"

Magnus nodded. "Good. They're really nice. Isabelle actually has a good recipe going for her."

Alec laughed at this. "I'll tell her you said they were delicious. She'd appreciate that." He paused for a moment to look at Magnus. The warlock had bit into another cookie and was flipping through the channels. "Magnus? I don't like it when we argue."

Magnus looked away from the tv to gaze into Alec's eyes. "I don't either. I felt sick to my stomach when I yelled at you."

"And I felt sick to my stomach when I yelled at you," Alec whispered. "I'm sorry I got mad at you earlier. I don't even know what it was we were arguing about."

Magnus closed his eyes. "It was stupid. Over something simple. But don't worry about it, gorgeous. What's done is done. The most we can do now is learn and grow from that fight."

"Yeah. Sounds good. I hope we don't argue like that again because that wasn't...." Alec took a deep breath. "I didn't like that. Made me feel gross inside."

Magnus took the Shadowhunter's hand and squeezed it. "I know, Alec. I know. Next time we'll talk about it like adults instead of yelling like children."

Alec nodded. "Sounds like a plan. But you're still sleeping on the couch tonight."

Magnus snorted.